


The Cost of Caring

by gutterflower



Category: Fallout 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-20 00:35:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5986384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gutterflower/pseuds/gutterflower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By the time Abby found Neal in Skin Deep, he was working for Skinny Malone to pay off a gambling debt.  He obtained this gambling debt in Goodneighbor several years earlier.  He had tried to avoid the town for the longest time.  How did he end up there in the first place?  I’m gonna blame <a href="http://monsterrpblog.tumblr.com">@monsterrpblog</a>‘s Molly!  (very short one-shot blurb)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cost of Caring

Neal was used to people being unfriendly in the Wastelands. At this point, he was relieved if he could so much as say ‘hi’ to someone without having a gun pulled on him. There was something that bothered him about the trader who traveled alone, however. Even more troubling - she was a ghoul. He knew far too well how harsh the world was towards their kind.

Normally he wouldn’t care. Normally. What the hell was this guilt that tugged inside him, though? He hadn’t felt that in awhile. Shit.

He had tried to play it off - pretend he was headed the same direction as her, just to keep an eye out for raiders. She didn’t buy it, telling him she was a solo trader - company was unwelcome. She was either stubborn or just plain stupid - either way, Neal knew that if he were smart, he’d just walk away and continue on to Quincy. She was headed to Goodneighbor, which was one place he really didn’t want to deal with. But nope - here he was anyway. Hadn’t he killed his conscious a long time ago? Maybe it wasn’t so bad that her destination was Goodneighbor. He evidently needed a lot of chems.

He kept a good distance behind the trader. Occasionally she would stop, yelling at him to quit following her.

“Whacha want from me?” he finally spat back. "I’m headin’ to Goodneighbor - not my problem if yer ass is in my way!“

The woman stopped in her tracks, looking behind her. She walked over to him, staring at him quietly. Neal wondered if she was going to hit him. It wouldn’t be the first time he had gotten hit for mouthing off. Hell, it wouldn’t be the first time he got knifed for mouthing off, either. After having what seemed to be a staring contest, she reached out, pushing him backward. He lost his footing, mostly out of surprise. The woman then took off running. Neal sat on the ground for a moment, simply trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened. He finally got back up.

“What the hell, lady?!” he shouted, wondering if he should run after her. He picked up his pace, still heading in her direction. He was starting to remember why he didn’t help people anymore.

“Fucking ingrate,” he cursed under his breath as he moved ahead. He was too far along to bother turning around. Might as well head on to Goodneighbor - it wasn’t very far now. He hoped he had enough caps, because he really needed some booze to chase the chems with at this rate.


End file.
